


Under the Dream-Sea

by Lunarium



Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Dreamscapes, Gen, Sea Monsters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 03:24:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8429947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: After listening to the tale of Lalli's run-in with the dream-sea trolls, Reynir has a plan.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StarSpray](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarSpray/gifts).



When Lalli first beheld Reynir, before knowing his name, he had been momentarily distracted enough by trying to get his attention that creatures from the dream-sea had pulled him right under. He had terrible visions of landing back in there ever since. He was lucky to manage getting out alive, waking up spluttering and gasping for breath. Onni warned him to never venture out of his Haven, as it was becoming too dangerous. 

“Why do you and Onni never like stepping out of your Havens?” Reynir asked as he doubled back. “I had to practically push Onni across last time, and he’s not exactly light! What’s so scary about it?” 

“Mrr!” Lalli flopped back down on the edge of his Haven, refusing to put one toe out of his safe dream-lands. 

“Come on!” Reynir said. “We’ve done nothing all day in the waking world other than stare at the sky while Tuuri tried to fix the tank and listen to Sigrun yelling and chasing after a squirrel! Don’t you want to see what we might find out there tonight?” 

“You don’t understand,” Lalli said. “You foreign mages can walk on water. Finnish mages can’t. The last time I tried, before I met you…” Peering up, he debated about telling Reynir that he knew of him from before, but the words came spilling out. Reynir stood on the black water listening, transfixed, mouth slightly open. 

“I can't remember a single moment of that!” he said when Lalli was done and turned his head away in mild disgust. “I’m sorry, Lalli! I didn’t know! If I had I would have come help! You know I would! I didn’t know—hey, what’s so scary down there in the water anyway?” 

“Mh?” Lalli shrugged his shoulders. “Just a bunch of trolls of dead mages trying to kill living ones in their sleep, I would guess.” 

“Not all dead mages, I think?” 

“What’re you trying to get at?” 

The threat in Lalli’s tone did nothing to wipe the grin off Reynir’s face. “Well, if I can cross the water, maybe…we can cross into the water too! And see else goes on inside!” 

“You’re out of your mind.” Lalli jumped to his feet, making his way back to his raft but Reynir grabbed his arm. 

“No, I think we will be fine!” 

“You _think_?” 

“Please, let’s just give this a chance! It could be fun! Who knows what we’ll see there!” 

“I’ve seen enough of what goes on in the dream-sea!” 

But he lost the fight. Reynir, ever-persistent benevolent asshole that he is, carried him back to the edge of the dream-water. With Reynir’s hands on his shoulder, it gave him the ability to stand on the water whereas he wouldn’t have had the ability to before, but finding where the water sank deeper, Reynir said, “Ready?” and suddenly they plunged into the depths together. 

Water threatened to pool into his lungs for but a moment before something cool, like wind, swept around his head. Finding himself able to breath, Lalli looked around himself, noting that a bubble was also around Reynir’s head. Reynir gave him a big grin before giving him a push, plunging them deeper. 

They encountered the mage-trolls soon enough, the drifting beasts as horrifying as Lalli remembered them. 

“Don’t draw attention to us,” Lalli warned him under his breath. 

“We could…stand still and stay silent right now,” Reynir said teasingly, to which Lalli wanted to throttle him for. But glancing at him, Lalli was speechless. Reynir was _smiling_ , completely unafraid. And that, strangely enough, comforted Lalli. 

They swam deeper into the waters, ignoring how dark and thick the water was getting. If Reynir wasn’t scared, Lalli decided, then he wasn’t going to be either. 

Just when fear was beginning to seep back into Lalli with the thought that they would swim deep forever, they broke through a barrier and was suddenly surrounded by light. In sea-like water again, Lalli blinked his eyes, taking in the bright hues of the coral and seaweed, and the mage-trolls! Who were far less grotesque and threatening, and not even troll-like but rather tame in appearance. One passed them by, her eyes sweeping them, muttering something under her lips, a peaceful look upon her face before floating by, colorful antler-like fins guiding her through the dream-sea. 

“Look at that!” Reynir said gleefully. “There’s nothing to be afraid of under the dream-sea after all!” 

Lalli would have smacked Reynir for that, but for the moment, he had to agree.


End file.
